Leblanc will now join the Junior de Montreal, who own his junior rights, and will likely get a real chance of playing for the Canadian Junior National team, come winter.

While Leblanc could really not make a bad choice between Harvard and the junior ranks, the latter move is perhaps slightly better for him since he will be playing against better competition.

Moreover, playing for the Junior de Montreal means that Leblanc will be residing in the city of Montreal. This move will end up being a boon for that the Canadiens as the proximity to the Habs will mean that they will be able to better ensure he continues to develop as expected.

I think this is a great hockey decision for Leblanc—as playing in Harvard for another year would have been more of an academic decision—and one that will only help him get better quicker.

I expect Leblanc to start adding mass to his 6'1" 184 lbs frame, to play a key role on the 2011 Canadian World Junior team, and to be ready for a possible jump to Hamilton next season.

So what do you think of this move? Should Leblanc have stayed a little longer at Harvard? Is the Junior de Montreal the best fit for him?

The biggest key to Leblanc's success is the Habs developing him properly. While this is something they have not been very good at over recent years, I think they might had turned a corner with the addition of Larry Carriere to their staff.

He was the man responsible for properly developing all of the young talent in Washington.

Sure, it might be easier to develop an Ovechkin or Backstrom, but there is still the potential to screw it up.

I think this move, and the proximity to the Habs, can only benefit Leblanc from a hockey perspective.